Can anyone give me an example of "Circular reasoning" flaw?

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• 1 Like

  Ahkneekey Member

  May 2020 66 karma

  PT 17.2.2:
  "Many people do not understand themselves, nor do they try to gain self-understanding. These people might try to understand others, but these attempts are sure to fail, because without self-understanding it is impossible to understand others. It is clear from this that anyone who lacks self-understanding will be incapable of understanding others."
• 1 Like

  Law and Yoda Alum Member ⭐

  May 2020 edited May 2020 4312 karma

  @armangrigoryan1999 - Check out this previous discussion post that list different examples based on the type of flaw. I found it really helpful!

  https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/16979
• armangrigoryan1999 Member

  May 2020 65 karma

  @"Law and Yoda-Brandi" said:
  @armangrigoryan1999 - Checkout this previous discussion post that list different examples based on the type of flaw. I found it really helpful!

  https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/16979

  thank you i'll check it out now
• armangrigoryan1999 Member

  May 2020 65 karma

  @Ahkneekey said:
  PT 17.2.2:
  "Many people do not understand themselves, nor do they try to gain self-understanding. These people might try to understand others, but these attempts are sure to fail, because without self-understanding it is impossible to understand others. It is clear from this that anyone who lacks self-understanding will be incapable of understanding others."

  thank you so much
• 1 Like

  seanthelsat Member

  May 2020 54 karma

  one of my favorite examples is "Circular reasoning works because Circular reasoning works" the why part of the argument just feeds into what its attempting to prove.
• ahnendc-1 Member

  May 2020 642 karma

  @armangrigoryan1999, circular reasoning is when a conclusion is based on a premise that is more or less a rephrasing of the conclusion. Though this is the unifying characteristic behind all circular reasoning, I feel like there are a couple of different flavors:

  Comparatives:
  Joe is taller than Sean because Sean is shorter than Joe.

  The French Empire was more successful than their European counterparts at promulgating the values of democracy across the continent; this can readily be seen by the fact that France's European counterparts were less successful.

  Clever Rewording
  The leader of the opposition party is beloved because he is loved by everyone.

  I am infallible, after all, I am not capable of error.

  The 'validity' of the argument rests on a prior acceptance of the conclusion (I find these to be the most subtle)
  Autocrat: "You must accept my position as Supreme Leader, lawgiver to all, after all, I just decreed as much" [The conclusion - someone must accept the autocrat title's - rests on the premise that the autocrat is in fact able to unilaterally decree things (in other words, that he is in fact a Supreme Leader, lawgiver to all)]

  "The word of God is always correct; the Bible says so" [Accepting the conclusion that the word of God is always correct, relies on us believing that the Bible, itself the word of God, is correct"]

  Teenager speaking to his parents: "I should be able to eat ice cream for dinner, therefore you ought not to restrict me from doing so" [The conclusion that this teenager's parents should not to restrict him rests on the premise that he should not be restricted in the first place]"

  Please call me out if any of these are not correct.
• 2 Likes

  EveryCookCanGovern Alum Member

  May 2020 401 karma

  Jy is the best because he's great